Last week, we finally turned the page past the most scandalous offseason in college football history.
Four FBS schools were banned from this upcoming postseason, including Penn State, whose program was damaged beyond repair.
The Jerry Sandusky scandal tore apart a community that prided itself on the iconic figure of legendary coach Joe Paterno.
But even after serving more than 50 years as the head coach, Paterno’s reputation was left shattered.
In the Big Ten Leaders Division, only four out of six teams are even eligible to play in the Big Ten Football Championship Game.
Elsewhere, LSU, Georgia, Florida State and Tennessee each dismissed arguably their best player for off-the-field incidents.
But now that the season finally began last week, we can finally debate on-field happenings instead of discussing the repercussions of another scandal.
Will Alabama repeat? Could this USC team succeed more than the Matt Leinart-led Trojan squads? Is this the year the SEC’s streak of national titles comes to a halt?
These questions are much more appealing than sickening scandal stories or learning that a student athlete made a dreadful mistake.
College football’s offseason lasts about eight months. It felt closer to eight years.
